Writers from near and far and literature devotees are celebrating another exciting line-up at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature.
Speaking at Tuesday’s launch in the Meyrick Hotel, Cúirt director Dani Gill, said: “Cúirt has made Galway a literary destination every spring. When we look around this city and see the arts practitioners and the companies who operate out of the west, it reminds us of our continuing love affair with this amazing place, its artistic achievements that continue to mount and encourage new ambitions, and new dreams.
“We gather to celebrate the wonderful gifts of tremendous writers who offer us ways of understanding ourselves and how we live.”
Ms Gill, quoting the words of one of this year’s featured authors, Sebastian Barry, said: “I do believe you can ferry back a lost heart and soul in the small boat of a novel or a play. That plays and novels are a version of the afterlife...I write because I can’t resist the sound of the engine of a book, the adventure of beginning, and the possible glimpses of new landscapes as one goes through. Not to mention the excitement of breaking a toe in the potholes.”
Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins, who also spoke at the event, said:“At Cúirt you don’t just meet the writers that night after the reading when you are getting your book signed. You meet them the next day on Shop Street or Abbeygate Street. At Cúirt, the reader and the writer develop a special bond.”
At the time of going to press, some tickets were still available for the readings by Donal Ryan and Anakana Schofield, Eleanor Catton and Rachel Kushner, and Joanne Harris. But hurry folks they’re sure to be snapped up!
